Hospitals across the country are buying up the practices of independent doctors and making them employees. The hospitals lock in billions of dollars in revenue and referrals — and patients’ bills rise. A three-part series, plus an interactive map of hospital/clinic locations in Kansas City.

Hospitals across the country are buying up the practices of independent doctors and making them employees. The hospitals lock in billions of dollars in revenue and referrals — and patients’ bills rise. Facility fees are getting new scrutiny now that hospitals nationwide are buying up physician practices and putting thousands of physicians on their payrolls. Growing numbers of doctors of the millennial generation are choosing employment, most often by hospitals. A three-part series, plus an interactive map of hospital/clinic locations in Kansas City.